


The Green Light part 1

by kishidanchougoroshi



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-03-24 23:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13821804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kishidanchougoroshi/pseuds/kishidanchougoroshi
Summary: Nino was just an ordinary programmer who suddenly involved in a danger adventure. He woke up in a strange room and met a man who could produce fire by clicking his fingers. He was brought to a strange place and met the extraordinary people – without knowing the fact that he was targeted…





	1. Chapter 1

Nino blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the dim light; he was in a room, an unfamiliar one. His head was as heavy as steel when he tried to lift it from the pillow. He tried to collect his thoughts on what had happened, but they were in a haze. He looked across the room, there was a candle, which was showing a very weak light. Why did someone bother to use a candle instead of the electric lamp? 

He slowly sat up, his head throbbed like hell. He was thirsty and hungry, but it seemed there was nothing he could eat or drink. He guessed he was in some kind of hotel room, the bed where he was lying in was large, and there was a side table beside it with a dead lamp on it. The TV across the room was the newest model and it was switched off, along with all the electricity devices. The only light was the candle at the corner of the room. 

Nino was about to climb off the bed when the door opened; a figure entered the room and walked straight to him. 

"You're awake," the man said. He wore a weird suit which looked more like power ranger suit, something Nino had only seen in the movies. Nino's eyes had adjusted to the dim light so he could easily see the man's appearance. He was tall and muscular, had a strong jaw and sharp eyes, and his hair was combed nicely, his bangs covered half of his forehead. 

"Where am I? What happened? Who are you?" Nino asked. His head was still hazy, he only remembered that he had returned to his apartment from work and he couldn't remember anything afterwards. 

"You're in our hideout, I can't explain the details right now. My name is Sho and I'm in charge to take you to our headquarters before the main trip," the man answered.

Nino closed his eyes and massaged his own temple. He didn't understand what this man said, not even a single word. What hideout? What headquarters? What trip? 

"I'll explain everything later," Sho said while glancing at his watch. "You must be hungry, someone will deliver your food in a few minutes. You'd better stay here for the time being, it's for your own safety." 

"Sho-san," Nino called as the man was about to open the door. "Am I in danger?" 

Sho gave him a weak smile, "Unfortunately, yes." 

When Sho left, the room fell into an odd silence, even quieter than before if that was possible. Nino leaned his head against the bed wall and tried to calm down. He was in danger, but from what? He was just an ordinary programmer and he had never committed any crime or caused anyone harm. 

Someone delivered a tray of food, a piece of hamburger and a glass of diet coke a few minutes later. How did they knew that he loved hamburger? Did they check all of Nino's social media accounts to find out? 

Nino ate the hamburger quickly and finished the diet coke in a few gulps. He climbed off the bed and peered outside; he could see nothing since it was very dark. There was no clock inside the room; he didn't know what time it was, but he guessed it was past midnight. 

He couldn't find his phone or his stuff, someone must have gotten rid of them. If what Sho had told him was right, then he couldn't use any phones under his ID or someone would track him down. It felt like a bad dream or a very bad joke. Somebody must have played a prank to make fun of him? But who would do that in the first place? 

Nino gave up and decided to sleep again; there would be no answer no matter how hard he thought. He had only closed his eyes for a few hours when somebody shook his shoulders. 

"We'll depart now," Sho's deep voice said.

Nino rose off the bed and wobbled a bit; he put on his shoes as fast as he could. Sho was standing in the doorframe, watching Nino as he struggled with his shoelaces. 

Sho clicked his finger and the candle went dead. He didn't explain anything to Nino as he led him outside, holding his elbow along the way. The corridor outside the room was dark, Nino almost couldn't see where they were heading to, but it seemed that Sho remembered the way. 

"Wear this." Sho handed him a thick jacket when they were already well outside the building.

"Thanks," Nino said and put it on. The jacket was an over-sized one and very warm. 

"We'll cross the lake and it's probably won’t be the most pleasant journey," Sho said, keeping a tight hold on Nino's elbow to keep him close. 

"What? Lake?" 

Sho didn't respond to that. He slid out something from his pocket which looked like a flashlight. He didn't wear any jackets and he seemed not affected by the cold air. They headed towards a small boat on the shore.

“I hate boats," Nino mumbled, but Sho seemed not to hear it.

Sho waved his hand and produced fire out of nowhere. 

"How did you do that?" Nino asked.

"Later," Sho said, gesturing for him to sit down. 

The boat was small and only just big enough to occupy both of them. Sho told Nino to fasten the seatbelt around his waist. Sho produced another fire and switched on the machine mysteriously and without any warnings, the boat departed across the dark lake. 

If it was normal conditions, Nino would complain all the way. He hated travelling by boat and this small sized thing was the last vehicle on earth he wanted to ride. His head started spinning around and before he could prevent it, he threw up. 

Sho glanced at him briefly but he didn’t say anything, he just stood beside the wheel and controlled the boat. Once in a while, he checked his watch. The trip felt like forever and when Nino thought that he would die from throwing up, the boat began to slow down. 

Sho fixed his hair as if they had just ridden a motorbike and not a rocky boat across a dark lake. He looked at the eastern sky; its color had changed to a soft orange. He shifted his gaze to Nino as if just realizing that he was there. The latter steadied his breaths and tried to stand up, but his legs were shaking hard. 

“It's the safest route," Sho said, not even offering any help to Nino whose legs were still shaking hard. 

Nino felt that he would throw up again if he opened his mouth to protest, so he kept quiet. He followed Sho's steps to the shore; the sun was about to rise and for the first time Nino could see Sho's outfit clearly. He wore something which looked like a swimsuit, but it was thicker and made of fine leather. A belt around his waist held two guns on each side, and a pair of dark boots decorated his feet. 

"Are you a kind of soldier?" Nino asked.

"Sort of," Sho shrugged and again took Nino by the elbow. He led the way, just like before they crossed the lake. "We’re heading to the headquarters," Sho explained shortly. 

They walked in silence through a path which was surrounded by trees. The sun had completely risen now, revealing a scene Nino had never seen. He was never an outdoor person, he rarely went for a walk to get fresh air at the nearby park, so he was completely clueless about the neighborhood area. They were not in his neighborhood, though. 

Sho loosened his grip on Nino's elbow when they reached the gate of the old building. He gestured to Nino to enter before locking the iron gate behind them. He guided the way through the corridor, down some stairs, another corridor and more stairs until they arrived at the room which was locked with a finger print scanner. 

Sho placed his fingers on the device and entered the room, Nino followed him. 

"Sho-chan, welcome back," a voice rang out as Sho closed the door behind him. 

"We've been expecting you," another voice said. 

Two men approached them; both of them wore identical swimsuit-like outfits with different colors. The one with the green suit was taller and slimmer, he smiled broadly as he walked towards Nino's direction. The other man with a dark purple suit was muscular like Sho. He scowled deeply and looked at Nino with a suspicious gaze. 

"We're still waiting for Ohno-san," the purple suited man said. 

"Matsujun has been tense since last night, he was so worried about you," the green suited man said.

"Shut up, Aiba," the man called Matsujun scolded the taller man, his face reddened. 

"Oh, I almost forget to introduce myself," Aiba said, approaching Nino and extending his hand. "I'm Aiba Masaki and this is Matsujun. We're assigned to protect you." 

"From what?" Nino couldn't help himself from asking. 

"Sho-chan didn't explain anything to you?" Aiba said in surprise.

"It's better to wait for Ohno san," Sho answered. He looked relaxed for the first time, he approached the chair behind a desk and slumped down on it.

"Let's have a cup of coffee, then," Aiba said cheerfully to Nino. "Sho-chan isn't good at hospitality, he must have shocked you," he continued, chuckling.

Nino almost said that Sho didn't offer any comforting words when he threw up on their way here, but he refrained himself from doing so. He followed Aiba's steps towards the other part of the room. With Matsujun left behind, he and Sho talked in low voices which couldn't be heard. 

"Do you like latte? Er- Nino?" Aiba asked. 

"Anything is fine," Nino answered. There were too many unexplained events since he woke up inside the dark hotel room last night and he felt he couldn't handle it anymore. 

"There you go," Aiba handed him the cup and poured another one from the coffee machine for himself. "You must be surprised, huh?" 

Nino sipped the coffee and calmed down for the first time since he stepped on Sho's boat. 

"I don't know," Nino honestly answered, perhaps the word ‘surprised’ wouldn’t be enough to explain what he felt right now. "I was just a mere programmer until last night. Who are you guys?"

"We're soldiers," Aiba replied shortly. "We're formed to take missions, but this time it’s a little bit different, we are here to make sure of your safety. I thought that it was weird when I heard that you’re a programmer, I imagined someone with big eyeglasses and such, but I was wrong, you're so cute, you know." 

Nino rarely got a straightforward compliment from others, so he had no idea how to react. 

"So, you're some kind of power rangers?" Nino asked. "Your costumes," he added.

Aiba smiled broader as he heard it. "This is the uniform of the soldiers from our base, it's our favorite colors. Sho-chan loves red, so he wears red, same thing applies to me and Matsujun." 

"That Sho-san produces fire from his fingers," Nino commented, trying to heard casual.

"Oh, that," Aiba said happily. "He has some kind of special power to control fire, weird isn't it? Matsujun can predict the enemies’ movements, he's like a human satellite."

"How about you? Do you have that kind of power?" Nino couldn’t help himself from asking, it was like meeting people from his favorite video game.

"Me?" Aiba's face formed a difficult expression. "Let's say I can shoot the enemies from a good distance," he grinned. 

The door opened again and revealed a man who wore a blue costume with a long cloak like Sho’s. He entered the room and found Nino almost immediately. He wasn't as tall as the other three men, but he had a kind of frightening aura which made Nino shiver as their eyes met. The room's temperature abruptly dropped as the man entered. 

"Ohno-san, good morning," Matsujun greeted the man with the utmost respect. Sho stood up from his chair and approached Ohno.

"Good morning," Ohno replied. He looked at Sho and patted his shoulder, "Thanks for your hard work, Sho-kun." 

"We're far from finished, though," Sho answered. 

Ohno walked in Nino's direction; something in the man's eyes prevented Nino from moving, he began to feel the chill, as if someone had just dropped the temperature to zero. 

"Ninomiya Kazunari," he called Nino's name. "I'm glad you're safe." 

"It seems he has no idea what he's up for," Aiba chirped in. 

Ohno swept the room with his gaze to ensure that everyone was listening. 

"My name is Ohno Satoshi and I am the captain of this special unit, which was assigned to protect you, Nino-san, from a threat. You're a hidden Konseki of the Green Light State. Every nation is looking for you and want to kidnap you for their interest.”

Nino looked at Aiba beside him and waited, he expected someone to say 'just kidding' but nobody reacted, they listened to Ohno seriously. 

"You have a unique ability to empower a whole island, or even a country, and everyone is chasing you now to release that power from you. Our duty is to keep you safe and deliver you to the Green Light where you can get the maximum protection," Ohno paused and gave Nino some time to process the story. 

"I don't get it," Nino said after a couple of minutes had passed. "There's no way I possess that kind of power, I can’t even win in a sprint against a fifth grader kid. You must have mistaken me for someone else, Sho san must have brought you the wrong person." 

"Sho kun never mistakes anyone," Ohno said firmly, glancing at Sho proudly. "I know it's hard to believe and you must have thought that we're pranking you, but we're not. You'd be dead by now if Sho-kun didn't bring you here,” Ohno took a deep breath and looked at his subordinates’ faces one by one, stopping for longer on Sho’s. 

“The four of us are the best squad the Green Light can get. You'll be alright,” Ohno continued.

"So, when will we depart to the Green City?" Nino asked nerveously. 

"It will be decided later," Ohno replied. "You can take a rest for the time being. One of us will guard you to make sure you’re safe," the man turned around and walked towards Sho's direction. "Follow me," he said. 

Nino watched them disappear beyond the door and felt the room's temperature return to normal. He put down the empty coffee cup on the table and slumped down on the armchair, still trying to grasp what was really happening. 

"We’ll be here to protect you, Nino," Aiba said, grinning.

"Thanks, Aiba-kun" Nino mumbled.

***

 

Nino didn't see Sho for the rest of the day. He was left in a room with Aiba as his bodyguard. Aiba was nothing like Sho, he loved talking and telling Nino jokes about his work in Green Light. He told Nino that he was the last member of their four-man unit and he had to pass hard training before he could join it. Aiba also told him about the special powers they develop, which sounded very much like magic to Nino. 

"What kind of power does Ohno-san have?" Nino asked when he remembered how the room turned cold as Ohno entered. 

"He has an ice power, but I rarely see it," Aiba shrugged. "He avoids using it and prefers to fight in a normal way. He's a nice captain, and he'll do anything to protect his subordinates, I like him."

Nino nodded, it explained why he felt intimidated when Ohno was around, and perhaps it was the man's natural charm which showed how strong he was.

"Sho-chan is the second in command in case Ohno-san dies," Aiba said lightly. "Don't take it seriously, that man doesn't die that easily," Aiba continued when he saw Nino's expression. 

The rest of the team were informed later that day that their departure would be delayed for a few days. Jun was the one who came to Nino's room and informed him. He was in charge of keeping an eye on Nino the second day. Unlike Aiba, Jun didn't talk much. He was too serious and had a bad sense of humor. Deep down inside his heart, Nino wished to see Sho once again, but it seemed that he and Ohno were going somewhere outside of their hideout. 

"Can you fight?" Jun asked after hours of silence. Both of them were reading books to kill the time. Nino normally didn’t read books, but there was nothing else he could do now. His phone was gone and it was frustrating that he couldn't play games online anymore or read the random news or stalk his colleagues through their social media. He wondered whether they realized his sudden disappearance – probably not, Nino thought. The computer company he was working for was too big to realize the absence of a single employee. 

"I can't fight, I lived in a peaceful world before you guys came and kidnapped me," Nino replied. 

"Come, I'll teach you,” Jun said, closing his book and gesturing to Nino to follow him.

"You're here to protect me, right? Why should I learn how to fight?" Nino lazily stood up from his chair and approached Jun, just realizing now how tall the man was. 

"Well, just in case the enemies attack us on our way and they are outnumbering us, it will be troublesome if you can't depend on yourself for a few minutes at least," Jun shrugged. He gestured towards the door and waited for Nino to follow him. 

"You play video game all the time, don't you?" Jun asked as they climbed up the stairs. Nino had already forgotten how far the outside world was from the rooms he had been kept in. 

"Yes, what about it?" Nino replied.

"I guess you can shoot the targets exactly the same way you did in the video games," Jun said, pushing a connecting door towards another corridor. 

"I hope I don't need to do that in real life," Nino mumbled. He still had too many questions regarding Ohno's revelation the day before. It was hard to believe that he held some kind of massive power, he couldn't help thinking that Ohno and the other three were still making fun of him. Maybe they were some kind of mafia who kidnapped him to take out his kidney or sell him to another mafia for slavery. 

Jun gave him the real gun and told him to shoot as many targets as possible on the training ground close to the headquarters building. When Nino hit the first target, he was surprised. It was no different than playing a video game and he quite liked it.

They were there for a few hours and when Nino shot the last target, he saw Sho approaching them. He gave Jun a quick nod before walking towards Nino; he looked briefly at the targets Nino had shot and returned his sight to Nino. 

"You'll train with me tomorrow, captain's order," he said with a harsh tone as if Nino would say no.

"I thought that we’re departing from here soon," Nino said.

Sho ignored him.

"Matsujun," Sho turned around. "Make sure you give him a proper outfit. He can't train with that ugly cardigan."

"Hey! That's rude," Nino protested, but Sho had already disappeared towards the building. "Probably to assist his beloved captain,” Nino thought bitterly. 

"He doesn't mean it," Jun said, smiling at Nino. 

"Yeah," Nino replied. "He watched me throwing up all the way here and not even offering me a word to make me feel better.”

"He's a soldier, he's seen much worse, throwing up is just – how should I put it – isn’t something which need his concern, " Jun shook his head and told Nino to take a rest. 

Neither Jun nor Aiba showed up at his room that night, perhaps they were sure that Nino was safe or they were sure that nobody would attack him in his sleep inside the headquarters. Nino wondered where their rooms were or what they were doing before sleeping. He was bored and there was nothing he could do to break the boredom. Maybe it was okay for him to take a little walk around the building?

Nino opened the door and left the room; the corridor was dark, but he had remembered where it would lead him. There was no sound except his own footsteps; Aiba had told him this morning that the headquarters was only occupied by ten soldiers – which meant his chance to meet another man was almost close to zero. 

He walked along the corridor and turned left around the corner; the air was chilly here, Nino shivered as he stepped further, he cursed himself for leaving his cardigan in his room. He heard voices from one of the rooms near him. Curious, he tiptoed as slow as he could and peered inside, regretting it instantly. 

Ohno and Sho were inside the room, seemingly eating each other's face. Sho's body was glowing from the fire he produced, meanwhile Ohno's fingers turned blue from the ice he created. They held each other so tight as if the world would turn upside down if they let go. 

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. The Green Light Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino was just an ordinary programmer who suddenly involved in a danger adventure. He woke up in a strange room and met a man who could produce fire by clicking his fingers. He was brought to a strange place and met the extraordinary people – without knowing the fact that he was targeted…

Nino stepped back and felt his heart racing. What was that? He shouldn't have seen it, he shouldn't have gone out from his room. He couldn't describe his feelings after witnessing it; they were soldiers, was it normal for them to do such thing? He ran as fast as he could along the corridor and towards his room; he closed the door behind him and locked it. His heart was still beat loudly under his ribs. 

When he was calm, he asked himself why he felt so guilty. It was not a surprising thing if love blossomed between work colleagues, regardless if you were a soldier or a waiter in a fast-food restaurant. Nino shook his head, he shouldn't think about it anymore, there were more important things that he needed to think about right now. 

Jun came early morning the next day and brought him a typical uniform; he helped Nino changed, the swimsuit-like outfit wasn't as tight as Jun's (thank God) and it was black with yellow stripes. 

"It belongs to our former teammate," Jun explained, "that's why the size is a little too big." 

"What happened to him?" Nino asked, but somehow, he already knew the answer.

"Killed in a mission," Jun replied. 

"I'm sorry," Nino said, wondering what kind of mission the late soldier took which made him lose his life. 

"Jun-kun, can I ask you something?" Nino asked when he recalled what he saw last night.

"Yes, what is it?" Jun replied. 

Nino hesitated for a moment and suddenly thought that it was better to leave it unknown. What would Jun think of him if Nino told him that he saw Ohno and Sho making out? He shook his head and gave Jun a weak smile, "It's nothing," he said. 

”Let's go, Sho-kun is waiting for us," Jun said, leading the way like he did yesterday. 

Sho was leaning against a tree when Jun and Nino reached the training ground. The man was holding a cyber in his right hand and a communication device in his other hand. He was talking to someone, probably Ohno. When he saw Jun and Nino approach, he stopped talking and inserted the device into his pocket. 

"Thanks, Matsujun," he said to Jun and gestured for Nino to follow him. 

They walked in silence and Nino was glad that Sho didn't drag him by the elbow this time. He couldn't erase Sho's expression when Ohno kissed him last night - it was just impressive and no matter how Nino felt guilty about it, he was glad to know that Sho was still human. 

They trained at the clearing; Sho told him to do some warming up before they started. It had been a since Nino done any sport, moving his body was just a kind of torture. Sho watched him with a plain expression, he didn't say anything until Nino was sweating. 

"Alright," Sho stood up and approached Nino. "Give me your best punch," he said. 

"I’ve never punched anyone before," Nino replied.

"You will punch many people from now on," Sho said, scowling. 

"You're there to protect me, so I don't think I need to do it. Besides, if I really am worthy Konseki-stuff, you should treat me like a fragile thing, you know," Nino said but regretted it as soon as he saw Sho's expression. His jaw hardened and Nino was sure that he would breathe fire from his nostrils. 

"Sorry, Mr. Fragile," Sho mumbled. "If you don't punch me, then I will do it first." 

Nino had no time to think or dodge as Sho's fist hit his stomach, the man didn’t punch him with full strength, but Nino found himself curled up on the ground. It hurt, but he had no time to whine since Sho was ready to give him another punch. 

"It seems that I have to train you from zero," Sho said, waiting for him to stand up. "I saw your ability in using a gun yesterday and you were pretty good. But, in my opinion, you have to train your physical strength as well or you'll be killed as soon as the enemy finds you." 

"Thanks," Nino said, "I just hope that I can reach wherever you will take me without meeting the enemies. I'm not ready for this kind of situation. I wasn’t born in a warzone, what do you expect me to do?" 

"Now you have to be ready, you’ll be joining the warzone, kid," Sho said. 

The first day of training was no different than a sequence of torture. Sho made Nino work so hard that he couldn't even lift his arms when they finished. He did more than a hundred push-ups which was enough to destroy every particle in his muscles. He did sprinting as fast as he could or Sho would kick him or pretend to be an enemy who was after his life. Nino thought that Sho's speech about protecting him was real, but he was wrong; Sho was the one who was trying to kill him. 

Nino returned to his room with so much effort; he laid helplessly in the bathtub while massaging the muscles on his upper arm. He had admired Sho when they first met, but now he wished he had never encountered the man. 

"Are you alright?" he heard a voice say. 

Nino turned his head in surprise and saw Aiba on the doorstep of the bathroom, arms folded over his chest and grinning broadly. 

"Aiba san, what are you doing here?" Nino tried to hide his naked belly-bottom from Aiba's vision by collecting all the soap bubbles towards himself. 

"Matsujun said that Sho-chan trained you so hard. I was worried about your wellbeing, so I brought you some supplements."

"Thanks," Nino said, closing his eyes tiredly. "Sho-san was angry when I said that he should treat me as if I’m fragile."

Aiba chuckled when he heard it. "Sho-chan is such a cold-hearted guy, but he isn't a bad man. He just, you know, doesn’t know how to show affections to other people." 

"Affection," Nino repeated. He almost asked about what happened between Sho and Ohno but refrained from doing so, it was none of his business if both of them were in love. 

When he finished bathing, Aiba invited him to his room for a drink. Aiba's chamber was on the third floor, it was quite large with a huge bed, and a work desk with a coffee machine on one of its corners. Aiba slid out a bottle of whiskey from the refrigerator and poured it into a glass. 

"I hope this makes you feel better," Aiba said.

"You're the only human in this squad," Nino took the glass from Aiba’s hand. “Thanks.” 

"Everyone is too serious, I presume," Aiba replied, smiling at him. 

"It's quite stressing," Nino shook his head. "My life was normal until two days ago." 

"I feel you and I appreciate that you accept it so calmly."

Nino snorted, what did Aiba expect? Did he expect someone who protested brutally and begged to go home? 

Nino couldn't say that his life was interesting, but it wasn't boring either. It was definitely safer and very monotone and there would no one who forced him to train his ass. He missed his video games and his comics already. 

He had nobody he could call friends since he was kind of anti-social; perhaps no one missed him after his disappearance, he thought bitterly. 

"Aiba san, may I sleep here tonight? I don't feel like returning to my room," Nino said while yawning deeply. Aiba was his favorite so far and it surprised him how he could accept Aiba like an old friend despite their short encounter. 

"Okay," Aiba answered gladly. “I rarely get a guest.” 

Nino couldn't sleep that night; his muscles were hurting everywhere. He looked at Aiba on the other side of the bed, sleeping soundly. Ohno hadn't informed when would they depart, it meant he would need to train with Sho until their departure. Nino couldn't decide how he felt about Sho, his heart still fluttered in a strange way every time he saw the man. However, he reminded himself that Sho had Ohno and no matter how he tried, he would never be able to defeat Ohno - not even in his imagination. 

He imagined the possibility of his unknown power; something which could control someone else – Sho would be his first victim. He would hypnotize the man to eat a living spider. The thought somehow, brought a smile to his lips. 

However, the reality was the exact opposite of his imagination. 

***

 

“You’re weak!” Sho yelled at him when Nino gave up on his training to lift a burble. “Ten more push-ups!” the man commanded. 

“I can’t,” Nino shook his head. “I’m at my limit.” 

“You can’t say something like that when you’re in front of the enemies,” Sho angrily said. 

“I don’t give a shit,” Nino put down the burble and stood up. He was about to leave the clearing when Sho’s hand found him. The guy gripped his wrist and with a complicated movement, he smashed Nino to the ground. 

“I don’t train a crybaby and I don’t care if you’re a damn Konseki,” he said. 

“If you don’t want to save me, just kill me, it will shorten the story, don’t you think?” Nino replied, grimacing painfully when Sho tightened his grip on his wrist. 

“Don’t try me,” Sho hissed. 

Nino struggled to get free and was about to curse Sho when Ohno appeared from beyond the trees. His cloak fluttered behind him and his eyes locked at Nino and Sho. 

“What happened?” he asked calmly. 

“Nothing,” Sho said, freeing Nino from his grip. Nino slowly rose off the ground and shifted further, out of Sho’s reach. 

“Aiba chan said you’re working very hard,” Ohno said to Nino. “I appreciate that. I’ve just received the latest development, we have to depart tonight.” 

“Oh, that’s great news,” Nino said, glad that there would be no more training with Sho. 

“Sho kun, can we talk before we depart?” Ohno asked. 

“Sure,” Sho replied. “Go back to your room, Mr. Fragile, and gather your belongings as fast as you can. Aiba kun will pick you up before our departure.” 

“Yes, Sir,” Nino answered and without further ado, he walked towards the headquarters building. 

Aiba entered his room right before seven o’clock that night. He told Nino that they would go by submarine. Nino had already guessed that they would use the most uncommon transportation, so he wasn’t really surprised. 

“Don’t worry, our submarine isn’t as rocky as the small boat you rode on the way here, so you’ll be alright,” Aiba said, grinning. 

“Let’s hope so,” Nino shrugged and shouldered the rucksack Jun had given him. He had packed his cardigan, a flashlight, a pair of sneakers he found inside the shelf and the oversized jacket Sho gave him. He followed Aiba towards the clearing outside where they gathered. Jun was already there; he looked somehow nervous, but he still managed to give Nino and Aiba a weak smile. 

Ohno and Sho joined them a few minutes later, both of them wore their identical cloaks (only the colors were different). Ohno led them towards the truck which was parked at the exit of the headquarters building. It would take them to the harbor. Jun was the driver, meanwhile the rest of them jumped in the back. Nino sat down between Sho and Aiba; both of them had their weapons ready in their right hand as if expecting the enemy to strike them at any time. 

Ohno was in front of them, fixing his gloves. He had no weapons with him and seemed relaxed. Nino remembered what Aiba had told him, that Ohno rarely used his power unless it was a force major. Nino sensed that they hadn’t told him everything about this mission; like what kind of danger they would face or what kind of enemy they would fight with. He felt hopeless all of a sudden and wished he had trained harder under Sho’s strict guidance. 

When they arrived at the harbor, Sho waved his hand and produced fire from it. He lit the way (it wasn’t the real harbor, just a hidden corner of the beach). Nino was placed in the middle, Jun was in the front line with Sho, meanwhile Aiba and Ohno were behind him. 

The submarine was quite large, but Nino still hated it. He didn’t like the feeling of being trapped inside a small vehicle and there was nowhere to run if something happened. Jun and Sho were busily switching on the machines and checking every corner to make sure they were ready to go. 

“The journey will take a while,” Aiba said to Nino as he showed him a small room where they could take a rest. 

“How long?” Nino asked. 

“Around two weeks,” Aiba replied.

“Oh my,” Nino slumped on the bed, shaking his head. 

“Don’t worry, Nino. We’ll make this journey comfortable,” Aiba smiled to comfort him, but Nino couldn’t erase the feeling that something would go wrong on their way. What if they sank? What if they encountered a sea monster? What if they were carried away by the sea current? 

“It’s not a first-class seat on a plane,” Sho said from behind the periscope. “Don’t expect a glass of wine or an ice cream.” 

“Maybe it’s you who expect them,” Nino answered. 

Sho didn’t answer, he disappeared towards another part of the ship and didn’t come back which made Nino somehow relieved. 

They departed silently, crossing the ocean and heading towards nowhere (at least for Nino) since he didn’t know where the Green Light State was. He suddenly felt afraid for what kind of things he would face at the new place. He just hoped that he didn’t need to be apart from Ohno’s squad – he wasn’t really good at coping with people in the first place and he couldn’t bear it if he needed to know new people from now on. 

Hours had passed since they left the harbor; when Nino woke up from his slumber, the submarine deck was quiet. Everyone seemed to have be sleeping in their respective rooms. Nino managed to get some fresh water from the fridge on the corner of the deck, but he stopped half way when he heard voices from the slightly opened door of Jun’s room. 

He should have ignored it, but he was afraid that Jun might be having health problems in his sleep. Nino stepped silently towards the doorstep and saw Jun was below a man – no other than Ohno. He was half naked; Ohno’s blue fingers travelled above his bare skin, they kissed as if there was no tomorrow. 

Nino’s feet wouldn’t move, he froze as he watched them changing position. Jun sat on Ohno’s lap, letting Ohno suck his nipple, and right at that moment Ohno’s eyes met Nino’s. Instead of stopping though, Ohno kept on kissing Jun’s naked chest, the latter busy groaning in pleasure, his eyes were closed, enjoying the things Ohno did to him. 

Nino stepped back and turned around, he could feel the cold sweat on his face. He couldn’t grasp it; Ohno kissed Sho in his room at the headquarters and now he did that to Jun as well. What was going on? 

He confusedly returned to his room and almost screamed when he found Aiba in front of his door. 

“You don’t need to feel guilty,” Aiba said as if knowing what he had just seen. 

“I saw him kiss Sho-san too,” Nino replied in a whisper. 

“I’ll explain,” Aiba said, pulling Nino inside and closing the door behind him. “Both of them are strong enough to handle Ohno-san’s power or they would freeze as soon as he touches them.” 

“Are they in a kind of threesome relationship?” Nino asked. 

“I can’t say that,” Aiba shrugged. “Ohno san kisses me too, but only in a short peck, maybe you’ll get your turn soon enough.”

“What?” Nino imagined those blue fingers circling his neck and he shivered. “So, it has nothing to do with romantic feelings between them?” Nino asked again. 

“No, I presume. Sho-chan and Matsujun are free to have love relationships with other people, but I think Matsujun is in love with Ohno-san, so perhaps he will stay loyal to the captain,” Aiba said with a grin. 

Nino tried to digest what Aiba had said. If it was in normal conditions, he would never be able to stay close to Ohno. He was a pervert – a maniac one – if he kissed every underling. He wondered whether Ohno had sucked Sho’s nipple too or maybe more than that. He shook his head, he shouldn’t think about it now. But, if tomorrow never came, perhaps he would do the same. Kissing a person he liked wasn’t a bad idea after all. 

 

***

 

They continued their journey; the silence of the ocean pressing in against the submarine. There was nothing but the darkness ahead of them, but with Jun’s natural sensor, they wouldn’t lose their way. Nino couldn’t look at Jun or Ohno’s face directly after witnessing their passionate kiss the night before, he felt worse than when he saw Sho and Ohno. At least, Sho was still fully clothed when Nino saw them. 

He sat down in the corner, watching the blinking buttons in front of him and listening to Aiba and Sho’s conversation. The clock seemed to move slower than usual, he couldn’t distinguish night and day anymore. There was nothing but darkness and on the fourth day when Nino thought that perhaps they were stranded in an unknown world, he heard Jun yell. 

“The enemy, they’re coming!” 

“It can’t be,” Sho said, rising off from his seat and clutching his gun. “We have turned off every transmitter from this ship.” 

“They can follow us,” Ohno answered, approaching the periscope. “If they have the same ability as us.” 

“It’s not good,” Aiba murmured, also clutching his gun tightly. 

Nino looked around, expecting an impact. How could they survive if the enemy squad blew their submarine up? The water pressure must be so strong outside, the sea current, the sharks or perhaps underwater volcanoes. 

“How close are they?” Ohno asked Jun. 

“They are still quite far, but I’m afraid they are using a more advanced ship. They will catch us in no time.” 

Ohno came forward; he didn’t show any panic expression, as if he had been expecting this. He slid out his gun and stood at the center to give them orders. 

“Aiba-chan, bring this ship to the surface,” he ordered. “We don’t stand a chance if their ship is more advanced, they will blow us up.” 

“No they will not,” Sho said, “Nino is here, they will not kill him.” 

Nino gulped, this conversation sounded like one he had seen in a video game. He was afraid, he was no soldier like the other four, his hands began trembling, no matter how hard he tried to control it. 

“They will take Nino with them and it’s the last thing we want,” Ohno said. “Sho-kun, you will protect him, take him as far as you can from the ship, use the land route, turn off every transmitter and stay hidden all the time. We will try to hold them,” Ohno looked to the other two who nodded. 

“No, I don’t want to separate ways with you guys,” Nino said. “I’ll fight with you.”

“Nino,” Ohno said, shifting closer to him. “You have to reach the Green Light State safely, don’t worry, we’ll meet you there, okay.” 

“Ohno san is right,” Jun said, patting Nino’s shoulder in a friendly way. “We’re the best squad, remember?” 

Nino bit his lower lip; he didn’t want to go that damn Green Light, he just wanted his new friends to be safe. He was about to say something when Sho grabbed his elbow. 

“That’s the captain’s order, we have to do it,” Sho said firmly. 

The submarine reached the surface; Ohno pulled off his gloves, revealing his long blue fingers, he did something and the ship stopped. 

“Go, now!” Ohno shouted to Sho and Nino. 

To be continued


	3. The Green Light Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino was just an ordinary programmer who suddenly involved in a danger adventure. He woke up in a strange room and met a man who could produce fire by clicking his fingers. He was brought to a strange place and met the extraordinary people – without knowing the fact that he was targeted…

Sho wasted no time, he dragged at Nino’s hand while running on the bridge of ice that Ohno had made for them to escape from the middle of the ocean. It was dark and windy, but Nino had no time to stop or look back towards the ship. Sho kept on running, ignoring Nino who was almost out of breath. They heard gunfire from the direction of the submarine, but Sho didn’t give Nino any chance to look back. 

“This bridge will soon melt, so the enemy can’t follow us, we must hurry!” Sho said between his breaths. “Run! Nino!” 

Nino’s side hurt like hell, his muscles protested, his feet were freezing, but he kept on running. It felt like forever until they reached the nearest land which was a cliff without a beach, Sho jumped first and extended his hand to help Nino, but what happened next was too fast. The ice bridge melted completely and Nino had no time to grab onto Sho’s hand. He fell into the cold sea; he kicked down to keep his head above surface, but the water was too cold and he was too tired. He slowly drowned, his body wouldn’t listen to him. He gave up, perhaps this was the furthest he could go. 

***

 

The first thing Nino saw when he opened his eyes was the blue flames around him. They kept him warm, but gave not enough light. The surrounding area was pitch dark and the quietness felt like he was in a vacuum space. 

Nino shifted and pushed himself to the sitting position, someone had covered him with a jacket and wrapped a bandage around his head. The last thing he remembered was he fell down into the sea, it seemed that his head knocked into something. 

He slowly looked around, he was in the middle of a jungle, far away from city lights and video games. The worry started to crawl into his heart, what if there was a tiger behind the trees, ready to pounce on him? Or perhaps a huge snake? 

Sho was nowhere to be seen, but he must be the one who wrapped a bandage around Nino’s head and created this strange blue flame. Nino touched his head lightly, it wasn’t that hurt which meant he wasn’t badly wounded, but when he managed to stand, his right leg wouldn’t support his weight. 

“Stay still, your leg is sprained.” 

Nino looked towards the direction of the voice; Sho was standing beside a tree, his left hand producing fire, his other hand held a bottle of water. He walked closer and made a small bonfire from the flame on his left fingers. 

“Here,” he said, handing Nino the bottle. “Drink.” 

“Thank you,” Nino said, taking the bottle and sipped the water which was surprisingly cold. 

Sho’s eyes locked on the fire, deeply in thoughts. Nino wanted to start a conversation with him, anything would be fine, and he didn’t like this heavy quietness, not even a single insect around. The fact that they were alone bothered Nino; he indeed felt a weird attraction towards Sho, but this man was way too cold and being alone with him was the last thing Nino could imagine. 

“We’ll depart tomorrow at dawn,” Sho said, his eyes still looking at the fire in front of him. 

“Okay, but we have to find a stick for me to help me walk,” Nino answered. 

“That will slow us down, we need to reach the Green Light as fast as we can,” Sho snapped. 

“Oh, so how do I walk? Can you lend me a pair of wings then?” Nino asked sarcastically. 

“I’ll carry you,” Sho said precisely.

Nino could feel the heat on his cheeks which had nothing to do with the flame. This iceberg-mountain-guy said that he would carry him on his back? No way. He must have lost his mind. Nino sighed deeply, trying not to make a comment. It was Sho’s duty after all, it was his beloved Captain Ohno’s order to deliver him safely to the unknown Green Light State – there was nothing personal in carrying Nino on his back. 

“You’d better sleep,” Sho said after some time. 

Nino didn’t answer; he lay down again and closed his eyes. It was just a series of a bad dreams, he would soon wake up under his blanket in his living room and get ready for work. He heard Sho click his fingers behind him; the man also lay down, but Nino could tell that the other didn’t sleep for the whole night. 

***

 

“I’m heavy,” Nino said to Sho as the other was about to lift him in a piggyback. 

“We have special equipment in our arms and body, so your weight doesn’t matter. What do you think this costume for?” Sho replied with a frown on his face. 

“Well, then,” Nino shrugged, letting Sho lift him. Both of his hands touched the bottom of his butt and he couldn’t help but blushing hard. “How long it will take to reach the Green Light?” Nino asked. 

“Two weeks,” Sho answered briefly. 

“You will carry me on your back the whole time?” Nino asked in surprise. 

“I have no choice, now stop talking and asking stupid questions. I’ll run, so you’d better hold on,” Sho said. 

“How?”

“Wrap your hands around me,” Sho impatiently replied. 

“Er-, okay,” Nino did as Sho told him, he wrapped his hands around Sho’s body tightly as the man started running through the morning mist. 

Nino affixed his body as close as possible to Sho’s to reduce the shaking, he buried his face in Sho’s nape and couldn’t stop thinking of the wild tigers and snakes. He peered into the forest; they were surrounded by bushes and trees and Nino couldn’t tell which direction they were heading.

The sun light was blocked by the trees; the forest seemed to possess some power to slow them down since Nino felt that they were going nowhere. However, Sho knew where he was going, he kept on running with Nino on his back, sometimes he would slow his steps and look around to make sure that they were on the right track. 

He stopped around noon and told Nino to wait while he went somewhere and came back with a dead rabbit. Sho made a bonfire and skinned the rabbit for their lunch – a horrible one since they had nothing to make it tastier. But they couldn’t complain, especially Nino as he was too useless with his dislocated ankle. 

Sho tore the toasted rabbit and handed some to Nino. “It will keep us full until evening, bear with it,” he said as if reading Nino’s mind. 

“Thanks,” Nino replied, taking the meat from Sho. He forced his mouth to chew and gulp it down. He couldn’t imagine how he would survive the upcoming two weeks with the same kind of food. He thought of the hamburger he always had for lunch and the soba from the nearby shop for dinner. That world seemed already sunk somewhere in the Atlantic and Nino would never be able to go back there, no matter how much he begged for it. 

Sho finished his lunch quickly and checked on his weapons. His guns were still fully loaded; the knives were still properly sheathed inside their scabbards, Sho inserted the guns back to the handle on his waist and looked around to confirm their safety. The absence of the transmitter meant Sho couldn’t contact anyone in the Green Light State, but perhaps he had another way of communicating, something like long distance telepathy with Ohno. 

He waited for Nino to finish before continuing their trip. Sho didn’t run this time, he just walked in high speed. Nino had just realized that Sho had horrible sloping shoulders, but of course he didn’t voice his observation. He wrapped his hands around Sho’s chest and tried to keep his face away from the man’s nape. 

Their trip went slow and on the second week, Nino was finally able to walk by himself. They didn’t talk for almost the whole trip, sometimes, Nino would bump into Sho accidentally when he suddenly stopped to recheck their track. Sometimes, Nino would wake up in the middle of the night when he heard Sho’s loud snore and mistake it for the sound of a tiger. Sometimes, Sho would hold Nino’s hand to help him cross a river or climb a small cliff. Nino at least felt glad that Sho was no longer dragging him by his elbow. 

“Sho-san,” Nino tried to open a conversation when they walked among the line of ferns. “I can’t be a Konseki like Ohno-san said and the power I possibly have may never exist.” 

Sho gave no reply, until Nino thought that perhaps the man didn’t hear him. 

“It’s because your kind is a battery,” Sho finally answered after a long pause. 

“Sorry?” 

“A battery,” Sho continued. “Something within you could power a huge weapon to be used for a war. The world is experiencing a cold war right now and kidnapping your kind is becoming the most essential way to get a great amount of energy without the need to pay.” 

Nino tried to digest what Sho told him, but he couldn’t. It was too difficult for his tired brain at the moment. 

“My kind? Do you mean there are others like me?” 

Sho’s face turned into a dark expression as he answered, “Unfortunately, you’re the last one. Your kind is called ‘Konseki’ by the Doctor who created you, the others didn’t survive. The world we’re heading to is in war. The place you’re living in is the only place which stays out of conflict. Meanwhile we’re fighting for peace, that’s why we want to take you back to Green Light before the others find you to make sure that they will not make you the battery for a destructive weapon. And now, you have two choices, hiding for your safety, or fight together with us.” 

Nino gulped, this wasn’t the answer he was expecting. He didn’t want to be killed and used to power up a weapon. He didn’t want to hide either, the only choice was to fight together with Sho, Aiba, Jun and Ohno. 

“I want to become stronger,” Nino said after a long pause. “Train me.” 

Sho’s hardened expression didn’t change as he heaved a deep sigh. “It isn’t easy, the training to become a soldier is ten times harder than what you did with me.” 

“I don’t mind,” Nino replied. “It’s the only choice I have.” 

“The decision isn’t on me,” Sho shook his head. “We have to reach the Green Light and you can ask the General to include you in the junior troop.” 

“It’s still three days ahead,” Nino said tiringly.

“You’re counting correctly,” Sho said without a smile on his lips. 

***

 

That night they slept close to each other. 

Nino didn’t really remember how he ended up resting his head on Sho’s sloping shoulder and it was even weirder that the man didn’t push him away. Despite the fact they travelled alone, Sho never once showed any affection to Nino; on the contrary, he looked at Nino as a nuisance, someone who slowed down their journey. Nino had gotten used to Sho’s frowning and he didn’t expect the sudden change from the man. He had tried to minimize the questions before because Sho only answered curtly and mostly ignored him. Sometimes, Nino really wanted to tell a joke, just for self-entertainment since he was very desperate at the moment, but he refrained himself from doing so since Sho would probably toss him into a ravine. 

But now, he found himself close to Sho, the man was sound sleep, which was rare. It was the first time Sho showed tiredness and somehow it made Nino relieved that Sho was still a mere human who needed rest. Sho’s body was warm and it was comforting for Nino to lean on for warmth since Sho had forgotten to light the blue flame around them.   
Nino closed his eyes again, there would be three days more until they reached their destination. He had been missing a warm bath and bed so much and hoped that the ancient place still possessed them. 

Sho seemed to change a bit (at least to some degree) in the last three days. He helped Nino climb the hill which separated the Green Light from the outside areas. He kept on clutching Nino’s hand until they reached the flat ground. Sho didn’t talk to him, but it didn’t matter to Nino anymore, perhaps the man never liked the chit-chat thing and their current situation was too serious to talk about random things. 

“Aiba is waiting for us at the gate,” Sho said shortly. 

“We made it, Sho-chan,” Nino replied. 

Sho was taken aback when he heard how Nino called him; the latter covered his mouth when he realized it, but there was no way he could take it back. It was probably just his imagination, but there was a weak smile on Sho’s lips. 

They saw Aiba approaching, for a cheerful person, he looked somewhat gloomy. 

“Welcome home, Sho-chan, Nino,” he said rather confusedly as if wanting to tell them something important. 

“Did something happen when we left the submarine?” Sho asked. 

“Ohno-san, he’s…” Aiba couldn’t continue his sentence, he looked down at his shoes.

Sho didn’t react, he just tightened his fist while heaving a deep sigh as if trying to get hold of himself. Nino looked at Aiba, but the man said nothing more. The man led them past the gate, towards a truck which was parked nearby. 

“Both of you need a proper rest,” Aiba said as they got in the truck. “We’re safe here, you don’t need to worry, Nino.” 

“Do I need to meet someone to introduce myself?” Nino asked. 

“You can do that later,” Aiba replied. “You look awful, both of you do,” he added, glancing at Sho whose expression was still very dark. 

The Green Light was nothing like the city Nino had left; it reminded him of the ancient places he had seen in history books. All of the buildings almost had the same height with the tall-narrow glass windows all around them. The street was wide enough for two trucks, there was no shops, no restaurants, let alone a simple ramen shop. Nino couldn’t imagine himself living in a gloomy place like this and thought that he would die from boredom instead of being killed by the enemy. 

The people they passed wore the same jumpsuits as them, but with the same orange color or dark blue or white. They walked in a rush while talking to their friends. Nino leaned back deeper in his seat, closing his eyes. He couldn’t believe this; he was a battery – what nonsense. 

He stole a glance at Sho every now and then, but the man seemed not in the mood to talk. Nino really wanted to ask what happened to Ohno, but he restrained himself. Whatever happened to the captain must have been bad and it seemed that Sho had already guessed it from what Aiba had told them. 

They arrived at the biggest building at the corner of the city, Aiba stopped the truck and told Sho that he and Jun would meet him within two hours to report. He waved good bye and disappeared at the first turn. Nino felt lonely, more than what he felt when he and Sho had travelled through the forest for two weeks. 

“Follow me,” Sho said to Nino. 

Nino walked behind the man and wished Sho held his hand or even dragging him by the elbow would be enough. But Sho didn’t do that; he stepped very quickly towards complicated corridors which made Nino think that he would need a special map to find the way out from this building. Sho stopped in front of a door, he entered the code and gestured to Nino to enter first. 

“It’s my personal quarters,” Sho explained. “You can stay here for the time being until they find you a room.” 

The room was terribly messy, there were dirty clothes everywhere, a few books scattered on the floor, empty cans on top of the table and an ashtray full of ash and cigarette butts. 

“It’s…”

“Dirty, I know,” Sho finished Nino’s unsaid sentence. 

“I mean it’s comfortable, compared to the cold grass in the forest,” Nino grinned. 

“You’d better take a bath and sleep,” Sho said shortly. “I will have someone deliver you dinner.” 

“Maybe it’s better for me to help you clean this room,” Nino said but soon regretted it when he saw Sho’s expression. 

“You can wear my clothes,” Sho gestured towards the closet at the corner of the room. “I have a few beers left inside the fridge, you can have them and if you need something else, just push this button,” Sho said, pointing at the red button near the side table. “Tell them that you do it on my behalf, and someone will deliver what you order, got it?”

“Wow, it’s pretty convenient, isn’t it?” Nino said, sitting down on the armchair after getting rid of Sho’s dirty t-shirt. 

Sho didn’t reply; he headed towards the bathroom to take a shower, meanwhile Nino rested his head on the armchair. He was sleepy and tired; Sho was right, he needed sleep the most right now – Sho’s horrible room could wait to be cleaned. His eyes were as heavy as steel and he didn’t know whether it was real or just his imagination when Sho gently wrapped him with a blanket. 

 

To Be Continued


	4. The Green Light Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino was just an ordinary programmer who suddenly involved in a danger adventure. He woke up in a strange room and met a man who could produce fire by clicking his fingers. He was brought to a strange place and met the extraordinary people – without knowing the fact that he was targeted…

When Nino woke up a few hours later, Sho was nowhere to be seen. He slowly lifted his head from the cushion and yawned deeply. It had been ages since he slept on a soft surface, it was paradise compared to the hard and cold ground of the forest. Nino quickly took a shower, brushed his teeth (he found a pair of new toothbrushes in the drawer), and changed his clothes with a pair of jersey pants and a t-shirt he got from Sho’s closet.

 

He collected Sho’s dirty t-shirts from all over the room and tossed them into the washing machine. He threw the trash into the dust bin, wiped the desk, folded the blanket and returned the books to their shelves. The digital clock on Sho’s wall pointed to 8 in the evening when he finished and he began to feel hungry. He looked around the room and felt satisfied that the room was more livable now.

 

Nino pushed the red button, just like Sho told him. He wondered whether he could order dinner now. A woman picked up the phone on the first beep.

 

“Is there anything you need, Mr. Sakurai Sho?” she asked.

 

“My name is Ninomiya Kazunari and I’m calling on behalf of Sakurai Sho,” Nino replied.

 

“Okay Mr. Ninomiya, what can we do for you?”

 

Nino hesitated for a moment, he wondered whether this place had the same food as the usual world. “Can I have a hamburger, please.”

 

“Right away, Mr. Ninomiya. Anything else?” the woman asked.

 

Nino was delighted by the answer, he only hoped that the hamburger here was the same as what he expected. “A big plate of French fries,” he said. “Thank you.”

 

“Please wait for around 30 minutes, Sir,” the woman said and hung up.

 

Nino returned to the armchair and took one of Sho’s books to kill the time, but he couldn’t concentrate. He thought of his future, what would happen to him after this? How could he survive in the world without a phone and play station?

 

He took a few deep breaths and looked at the wall opposite him. Sho said that he was the last of his kind and he had two choices, fight or hide. Perhaps hiding wasn’t that bad if he could read his favorite comics each day on a lazy chair, but he would feel guilty for the rest of his life if he let Sho and the others risk their neck for his sake. No, he wouldn’t just hide like a coward, he would fight along with Sho, Jun, Ohno and Aiba.

 

The dinner came twenty minutes later and Nino was glad that it was as delicious as he imagined. He consumed the hamburger and the cola, trying hard not to hurry, it felt ages since he ate something this good. Nino finished the hamburger in no time, he put the dishes in the small box in front of the door and returned inside.

 

The clock pointed to midnight, but there was no sign that Sho would come back anytime soon. Nino yawned deeply and decided to sleep. He lay down on the bed and looked at the ceiling, thinking of what he would probably face on the next day. To be honest, he wanted to stay in this room and do nothing for the next two or three days in order to heal his physical body and give his psyche some time to adjust to the new situation.

 

It didn’t take a long time for him to fall asleep, he dreamt of Sho, wearing armor while riding a horse. The man held a sword in his right hand and was ready to fight the enemies before him. Nino was right behind Sho, but he was there to prevent the war from happening. He screamed, calling Sho’s name, telling him to stop, but Sho was already too far away from him and there was nothing Nino could do to stop him.

 

“Sho-chan!” Nino’s eyes opened, the cold sweat ran down his spine, he panted hard like somebody who had just finished running. He blinked a few times, only to see Sho’s face in front of him.

 

“Bad dream?” Sho asked calmly.

 

Nino nodded in embarrassment; perhaps Sho was here all along, watching him as he called the man’s name in his sleep over and over again.

 

“Go back to sleep, it’s still three in the morning,” Sho said.

 

“How about you?” Nino asked.

 

“I’m going to sleep too, unless you want me to stay awake in case you experience another bad dream,” Sho said, lying down beside Nino.

 

“Sorry,” Nino mumbled. It felt almost natural that they slept in the same bed, he thought that Sho would mind it and told Nino to sleep on the couch instead. But the man didn’t say anything about the sleeping arrangement and he didn’t protest when he found Nino on his bed, so Nino concluded it as an approval and he was glad about that.

 

“Have a nice dream, Sho-chan,” Nino whispered. Sho didn’t answer, but Nino knew he was listening.

 

***

 

 

Sho left early in the morning on the next day; he told Nino to wait for the time being, until everything settled and Sho could sponsor him to enter the junior troops. The thought made Nino uneasy since he didn’t want to separate from Sho. However, he knew that he had a long road ahead of him in order to join a troop of Sho’s kind and perhaps he needed to possess some super ability like what they had.

 

Nino read the books again as Sho left; they weren’t his favorite, but there was nothing else he could do to kill the time. He was about to order lunch when the door flew open; Sho stormed inside and told Nino something which made his heart fall to his stomach.

 

“Change your clothes, we’ll be attending Ohno san’s funeral,” Sho said with a trembling voice.

 

Nino froze for a few seconds, trying to grasp what Sho said, then the realization hit him like a sudden wave. There was no way Ohno could die, he was the captain, he had a super power, and he was one of the best fighters in the Green Light, just like Sho had told him.

 

“Soldiers die all the time,” Sho said, patting Nino’s shoulder. Nino knew those words were spoken not for Nino’s benefit, but for Sho himself.

 

Nino wore Sho’s black jacket above a simple white shirt. He followed Sho’s steps towards the main hall of the city. Jun and Aiba were already there; Jun seemed as if he had lost himself, he sat silently while looking down all the time, not even lifting his head when Sho and Nino approached.

 

“He deserves the highest medal,” Aiba mumbled. “We usually don’t hold a proper funeral for a soldier, but Ohno-san has done a lot for this state and we want to pay him a proper tribute,” he continued, looking at Nino with bloodshot eyes.

 

Sho was the only one who seemed to be not shedding tears for his captain, but Nino knew he was grieving in his own way. They sat side by side and listened to the General’s speech about Ohno. He described the captain as the bravest and strongest soldier, that Ohno’s soul would live forever among them and would give guidance to the new soldiers.

 

“It’s my fault,” Jun whispered from Nino’s left side. “He shouldn’t have died.”

 

Nino wished he could say something to distract Jun from his sadness, but he couldn’t. He took Jun’s hand and squished it softly. Nino didn’t know Ohno that much, but he felt the loss as well. He couldn’t imagine if the one who died was Sho. His feelings for Sho had grown stronger and he didn’t want to be apart from the man, he wouldn’t even mind if Sho trained him hard like he had before, as long as Nino could stay close to him.

 

“Can you accompany Jun tonight?” Aiba asked him when the funeral procession was over. “I don’t want to leave him alone at a time like this, but I have an important task tonight, would you do it on my behalf, Nino?”

 

“Sure, anything to make him feel better,” Nino nodded.

 

Sho was listening behind them, so Nino didn’t need to tell him. He approached Jun who still squatted beside Ohno’s gravestone. Jun wiped the tears on his cheeks and took a few deep breaths.

 

“He promised us that he’ll be fine,” Jun sobbed. “He was killed by his own power, he overdid it to give us enough time to reach the Green Light border,” he continued, another tear dropped from Jun’s pretty eyes.

 

“He died as a great captain,” Nino squatted beside Jun. “You should be proud of him.”

 

Jun gave no answer; he slowly rose off the ground and bowed to Ohno’s gravestone before leaving. Nino followed behind him.

 

“Can I stay with you?” Nino asked. “Sho-chan seems busy and Aiba said that…”

 

“Aiba kun told you to keep me company, right?” Jun mumbled.

 

“Er-, yeah,” Nino answered, not knowing how to lie.

 

“How sweet of him,” Jun sobbed. “Nino, do you want to drink some wine? Let’s go to my room,” Jun dragged Nino towards the city without waiting for his answer. They walked in silence through a hidden path which connected the city and the graveyard.

 

Jun’s private quarters was located in the same building as Sho, but it was easier to find. The room was the complete opposite from Sho’s; it was extremely clean and neat. Everything was in its place and there were a few living plants outside the window. Nino admired that the man still managed to clean his room in his grief.

 

Jun took a bottle of wine from the shelf and poured it into a glass. He pushed the glass towards Nino and gestured him to enjoy it. They drank a few glasses still without words. Jun seemed not to getting enough sleep these past few days, there were bags under his eyes and he looked like he would pass out anytime soon.

 

“To Ohno-san,” Jun mumbled, lifting his glass.

 

Nino lifted his glass as well and sipped the wine; his head was already heavy, but he tried to keep his eyes open and listened to Jun ramble about Ohno. How he trained with Ohno, how they went together for missions, how he ended up liking Ohno more than he should. Jun’s eyes were teary again before he fell asleep with his head bent in a weird position. Nino took the blanket from Jun’s bed and covered the man with it. He looked at Jun’s face, probably it would take some time for this man to overcome his loss and there was nothing he could do about it.

 

When Nino woke up the next morning, Jun was already in his uniform. The man greeted him good morning and told him to get ready.

 

“We’ll meet the high rank officials today, they will decide what to do in order to ensure your safety,” Jun said.

 

Nino slowly climbed off the bed, he had a light headache and wished he could spend another hour in bed.

 

“I told Sho-chan that I will fight,” Nino said.

 

“It will be decided later,” Jun answered weakly. He searched inside the pouch he was holding and handed something to Nino. “Ohno-san entrusted this to me and told me to hand it to the last Konseki we’re protecting.”

 

Nino took the simple necklace from Jun and looked at it; there was nothing special about it. He lifted his head and met Jun’s eyes. “Sho-chan told me I’m a kind of battery.”

 

A dark expression appeared across Jun’s face and Nino was sure it had nothing to do with his sadness. The man heaved a deep sigh and placed both of his hands to Nino’s shoulders.

 

“You’re a clone, Nino,” Jun said with a bitter expression on his handsome face.

 

If he heard those words in happier days, Nino would have said that Jun’s joke was very bad, but now, he wasn’t that surprised anymore.

 

“A researcher from this State developed something to create a weapon of mass destruction,” Jun continued. “In order to power it, we needed a huge amount of energy and we had to buy it from outside. The energy is very rare these days, that’s why the most capable Doctor came up with the idea of creating a human clone that we can use as a source of power.”

 

“The Doctor started the project and it resulted in a success. The first human clone was used to power a weapon. They were placed inside a black sphere until their energy ran out. At first, there was nothing wrong, until the other States knew what we were doing. It led the nations to another war, everyone wants to get the same human clones as their source of energy, but the Doctor wouldn’t make any more clones. He committed suicide; the remaining clones were taken away in secret from this State, but they barely survived the journey. We’ve been searching for survivors for so long and we found you, at last. Sho-kun did everything to find you and he was the one who asked for the mission to protect you.”

 

Jun took a deep breath after finishing his explanation.

 

“He treats me like a baggage, though,” Nino mumbled.

 

“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” Jun said, looking outside the window, to the plants which seemed half-dead. “He wants to protect the last clone his father created.”

 

“His father?” Nino asked.

 

“Yes,” Jun replied. “The Doctor who committed suicide is Sho-kun’s father.”

 

Nino swallowed, recalling how Sho looked at him with cold eyes, how Sho wanted to make him suffer, but at the same time, Sho also showed him kindness and protection.

 

He didn’t know how to face Sho when they met that morning. The man said that he was in charge of their troop now Ohno had gone. However, they couldn’t take any missions with only three people, which was why they needed to make a selection to decide a new member. Aiba cheerfully said to Nino that they would choose him, but Sho killed the idea by saying that Nino wasn’t skilled enough to join their squad.

 

The three of them left him in the hall where the newest recruits gathered. Most of them were like Nino, trying to grasp what was happening and hoping they could leave this place as soon as possible.

 

A middle-aged man stepped towards the podium and swept the hall with his sharp gaze. The hall fell into an intense silence, everyone’s eyes were on the man. Nino guessed that he was the general of the State, responsible for the security of this country.

 

“Welcome to you, the newly recruited of the Green Light State troop. I’m so glad to have you all here…”

 

Nino didn’t grasp the rest of the speech since he felt something cold inside the pocket of his shirt. He fished out the necklace Jun had given him; it glowed with a beautiful blue light and at the same instant Nino felt his fingers turned as cold as ice. He began to panic as a cold sensation spread up his arm, it immediately reminded him of Ohno’s special power.

 

He didn’t mean to make a scene on the first day he met the general, but what happened next was too fast. He swung his left hand to the front and a formed a thin line of ice, it was soon melted into cold water, he tried to control his hand, but another wave of ice appeared again, this time bigger than before.

 

A pair of strong hands slammed Nino to the cold floor and overpowered him, “What do you think you’re doing, kid!?” a voice said.

 

“It was an accident,” Nino replied, wincing painfully as the man twisted his hand.

 

“You’re the last clone Sho-kun has reported,” the man said. “The information mentioned that you are weak and just an ordinary kid,” he continued.

 

“The report is right, Sir,” Nino said, hoping that the man would let go of his hand. “I’m just an ordinary programmer, what I did just now was an accident, I didn’t mean it.”

 

“Bring him to my chamber, I need to interrogate him,” the general said.

 

The man pulled Nino to a standing position and dragged him away from the crowd; he could hear the whispers accompany his steps. The general’s chamber was located in the third floor above the city hall. It was huge with various flags from different nations, there were decoration cups which Nino never seen and a big framed painting of the general himself hung high on the wall.

 

“Sit,” the man told Nino. He finally released Nino’s hand, but stood close to him to anticipate any reckless movement.

 

The door opened and revealed Sho whose expression was very dark, it made Nino think that somebody must have died.

 

“Sho-kun, please sit down,” the man said, gesturing to Sho to take a seat beside Nino.

“Thank you, Matsuoka-san,” Sho said.

 

“He’s under your responsibility, right?” Matsuoka glanced at Nino. “It seems that he’s not as weak as you described him.”

 

“I’m sorry for the scene he had created, I will take the full responsibility,” Sho answered, refusing to look at Nino.

 

“The general will interview him and will ask you what to do. It appears to me that what he did this morning was an accident, but he needs to control that new ability or it will endanger him and everyone here,” Matsuoka said while rubbing his chin.

 

Nino looked at his left hand which produced the ice. This power was the same as Ohno’s, but how could he do something exactly the same as the late captain? Was it because of the necklace? A magic necklace just like he read in his bedtime stories. He stole a glance at Sho; the man was looking in a different direction, maybe he hadn’t thought of this happening, which was why he was rather surprised by the incident involving Nino.

TO BE CONTINUED 

a.n: First four days in Tokyo, the cherry blossoms are awesome. I walked along the riverside with my husband every evening where the sakura trees lined up, not so bad for the free date site :)


	5. The Green Light Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino was just an ordinary programmer who suddenly involved in a danger adventure. He woke up in a strange room and met a man who could produce fire by clicking his fingers. He was brought to a strange place and met the extraordinary people – without knowing the fact that he was targeted…

The more Nino thought, the more he didn’t understand it. The general came twenty minutes later and talked with Sho instead of interviewing Nino. The latter couldn’t hear what were they talking about since they spoke with low voices. Sho approached him as they finished and told him to follow.

 

“You’re something,” Sho mumbled when they already outside of the general’s compound. “Making a memorable scene on your first day.”

 

“It was an accident,” Nino said, sighing deeply. He was a little bit angry at Sho for describing him as ‘weak’.

 

“You could have killed someone,” Sho said.

 

“What do you expect me to do?” Nino asked, stopping his step and facing Sho. The anger climbed to his head. “I’m not a warrior like you or Ohno-san, I’m just a mere clone who didn’t even know what he is until you appeared in my town and kidnapped me and brought me to an unknown world. If you expect me to act like a super hero, you’re taking the wrong person with you.”

 

Sho’s right hand grabbed Nino’s collar, he was clearly upset now, but he held himself from punching Nino. He gritted his teeth and let go of his grip while inhaling a deep breath to calm himself down. 

 

“You’ll train under my troop,” Sho hissed. “Don’t expect any mercy this time,” he continued, walking so fast that Nino had to run to catch him.

 

***

 

The first week of military training nearly killed him, but Nino refused to whine and show weakness to Sho. He was given a special glove to prevent him from producing an accidental iceberg. It worked great to prevent him from inflicting accidental destruction, but it also weighed him down. The glove was quite heavy and wasn’t the waterproof type. It impeded him when it turned wet.

 

Jun came to visit him on the eighth day as he had been researching about the possibilities of why Nino could do such a thing.

 

“Every power is unique,” Jun explained. “It’s only my guess, but it seems that you can borrow the power from the dead. Ohno-san was the closest to you, so that’s why you’re able to use his power. Perhaps, you can do more in the future.”

 

Jun had returned to his old-self, but there was still a glimpse of loneliness in his eyes as he spoke of Ohno. 

 

“It’s creepy,” Nino mumbled.

 

“I know,” Jun patted his shoulder. “But it’s useful.”

 

Sho was just another word for heartless; he didn’t tolerate any member who collapsed under the hard rain or suddenly threw up from exhaustion. He only let them sleep for a few hours before forcing them into early morning training. Many of them wished their captain would die in his sleep from a heart attack. Nino would have collapsed under the normal circumstances, but he really wanted to prove Sho that he could be as strong as Aiba and Jun, or Sho himself.

 

They slept in tents near the forest with freezing nights and a lack of blankets. It reminded Nino of his trip with Sho through the forest. He missed the blue flame Sho produced to keep him warm. He missed the Sho who let him rest his head on his shoulder – the scene felt like something that had happened years ago.

 

Three months quickly passed during their hard training under Captain Sakurai Sho and the troops had changed into tough guys, including Nino who could control his new power. He could make use of the ice he produced, even though it wasn’t as massive as Ohno’s, but it helped him in some situations.

 

The Vice-General, Matsuoka was satisfied with the results of the training and discussed with Sho about the placements. Nino was confident enough that he could protect himself now, he wouldn’t let any enemies capture him and make him a battery for their weapons.

 

Jun and Aiba came to celebrate his graduation; they brought him a bottle of rare wine and a piece of hamburger steak which happened to be his favorite. Aiba told him that Jun had made it by himself just for Nino.

 

“It seems that Sho-chan couldn’t kill you on your training,” Aiba said, grinning at him.

 

“He needs more than that to make me give up,” Nino answered, smiling widely at Aiba.

 

“Are you ready for the real battle?” Jun asked him.

 

“I think so,” Nino shrugged. He didn’t want to be a coward, he wanted to prove himself in a real battle.

 

“The war is coming,” Jun continued. “It’s not about fighting over energy anymore, it’s a war to conquer the other nations.”

 

“Does that mean I am no longer the priority?” Nino asked.

 

“You’ll still be a great bonus if they could capture you alive,” Aiba replied.

 

“How do they know I’m the one that they’re looking for?” Nino voiced the question he really had wanted to ask since what had happened at sea.

 

“They use a special sensor,” Jun said.

 

“Oh, that will be fun, where they all chase me,” Nino said sarcastically.

 

Aiba laughed and placed his hand onto Nino’s shoulder. “You’re more than capable to take them down, Nino.”

 

***

 

 

Nino returned to Sho’s personal quarters after the graduation ceremony was over. For some odd reason, he still hadn’t acquired a room for himself and because Sho hadn’t told him to move out, he believed it was okay for him to go back there.

 

Sho’s room was as messy as the last time Nino was here, he put away the dirty clothes and sat down on the armchair, waiting for Sho to come back. He watched his left hand; it wasn’t blue like Ohno’s which gave him some relief. He could control it very well now and could make some unique shapes from the ice as entertainment for his comrades.

 

The door fluttered open, revealing Sho’s figure. He looked at Nino for a few seconds before making his way towards the living room. Sho seemed tired and wasn’t in a good mood, his eyes were bloodshot, thin hair had started to grow on his jaw, indicating that he’d had no time to shave.

 

“I haven’t gotten my own room,” Nino said, trying not to sound like he was complaining.

 

“I can see that,” Sho replied shortly.

 

“When will we go to war?” Nino asked as if going to war was no more than playing a bad video game.

 

“War isn’t something funny, Nino,” Sho said. He rose from the armchair and looked outside the window, to the dark sky. “It’s about sacrificing your life, like what Ohno-san did. You have no idea what it feels like.”

 

“You’ve trained me, I don’t want to waste that training,” Nino answered, rising from the couch and standing beside Sho. It had been a while since they were this close; Sho smelled of sweat, a scent that Nino missed. “I heard from Jun-kun about your father, I’m sorry for your loss.”

 

Sho closed his eyes when he heard it, “You’re the living proof of his stupidity,” he hissed, turning at Nino. “He shouldn’t have created something which triggers conflict. He shouldn’t have created you!”

 

“So why didn’t you terminate us all when we were just created?” Nino tried to ask, despite Sho’s high temper. The man seemed so upset now.

 

“It was the decision of the upper ranks, to keep you alive and take you back to this place once you’re mature enough. If it was me, I would have thrown all of you off the cliff.”

 

“You could have done that to me in the forest and pretended it was an accident,” Nino said.

 

Sho shifted closer, his expression hardened. Nino thought that he would punch him when the man lifted his right hand, but all he did was place it on Nino’s shoulder.

 

“You’d better get some sleep,” Sho said. “We’ll start early tomorrow morning.”

 

Both of them went to bed in silence. Nino closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep, he didn’t know what to expect anymore, let it be, he thought. Nobody would shed a tear if he died anyway. Perhaps war was just another video game.

 

***

 

 

The Green Light troops had been busy for the last two weeks since their intelligence had reported that the enemy from Black Cloud State had started their movements. It would be the first open war in ten years; the upper ranks met almost every day to build strategy. Sho was one of the best strategic makers in the state, he attended meetings almost every day and trained his squads right after to deliver what they had to do in the battlefield.

 

Nino joined Jun and Aiba this time; they were placed in a special unit since Sho wanted to make sure that Nino was safe. At least, that was Aiba’s theory, there was no way on earth Sho would have said it out loud. He always tried to pinpoint how useless Nino was or how weak he was or how he would become the first who would die in the battlefield.

 

“He’s so bad in showing affection, you know,” Aiba said, grinning.

 

Nino shook his head in disbelief, he couldn’t imagine Sho showing affection, except when he let Nino lean on his shoulder in the forest all those months ago. That was the first and the last time Nino knew that Sho had that side.

 

He remembered when he saw Sho and Ohno kissing. He had been dreaming to see Sho’s face when he kissed someone – or perhaps when he kissed Nino. But it was out of question, there was no way Sho would kiss him, not even in his wildest dream. Perhaps, if he survived this war, he could ask for that as special reward from Sho.

 

Nino had never dreamed of a real battlefield, for him it was just a world in a video game, nothing more. But now, he found himself between Jun and Aiba, ready to face their enemy. It was a war for peace, that was what he heard from Sho. If they won, they could make the opposite State sign a peace treaty to make sure there would no more conflict over energy or so-called glory or conquering the other nations. 

 

"We'll be alright," Jun patted Nino's shoulder lightly. 

 

Nino nodded, hoping that Jun wouldn't do something stupid like a suicide attack because he wanted to follow Ohno to the afterlife. Jun had become a kind of an older brother to Nino during his stay at Green Light. He was the one who encouraged him to say what he felt for Sho, even so Nino hadn't taken any actions, he just couldn't talk casually with Sho. 

 

Sho was taking command for ten platoons and would attack from the west part of the battlefield. The Black Cloud was the long-term enemy of the Green Light, they had been developing mass destruction weapons, but with the lack of energy source, their development had stalled. The only way to get it was to attack the other State and grab their energy sources – Nino was one of them.

 

Nino could feel the cold sweat ran down his spine, it was nearly like a dream. He was afraid of bullets, of grenades, of the unknown super power the enemy had. What if they could behead him from a distance? Or hypnotize him to do what they said? Or choke him by clicking their fingers? 

 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, it wasn't the right time to back down. He would go to war, like it or not. It was better than hiding like a coward. He didn't want Ohno to have died for nothing. He tightened his fist and concentrated his power to his left hand. His hand turned colder and he knew Ohno’s spirit was there with them. 

 

Sho gave his first command and all of them ran to the west. Some of them would attack from the air by riding single-seated aircraft. Nino, Jun, and Aiba were the core and would lead the ground attack. 

 

The enemy (just as Sho predicted) consisted of more than 5000 troops. They would take as many energy resources as they could, including kidnapping Nino. Sho promised Nino that he would protect him no matter what the cost and he would never let anyone from the enemy side get close to Nino. It was so sweet of him, if only Sho had said all of those words with a smiling face. 

 

Nino followed Jun, gripping his gun tightly in his right hand. He had shot two enemies from a distance, he wasn't as good as Aiba, but at least he hit them. Aiba and Jun moved so fast that Nino almost couldn't catch them; Jun shot the enemies long before they made any movements and he could predict the direction where they would come. 

 

Sho was far in front of them, but he returned to Nino's side as he completed his task. 

 

"The platoons are in their respective positions, I just need to control them from afar," he explained. His right hand flared, he seemed to be more alert than he usually was, but also calm enough to face the worst. 

 

"Stay close to me," he said to Nino. 

 

Nino nodded.

 

"Answer!" Sho yelled.

 

"Yes, Sir!" Nino said loudly. 

 

Sho's expression was unreadable. He led the way towards the main battlefield and commanded Jun and Aiba to go separate ways in order to handle the air troops of the enemy. 

 

Soon, the situation had turned into chaos; the wounded from both side started to fill the battlefield. The dead bodies lay helplessly; their hands still clutching their guns. The sound of gunshots and grenade explosions were everywhere. Nino had already lost the direction; he couldn’t see Jun or Aiba. Sho was far behind him, busily giving commands to his troops.

 

He swung his left hand to block the enemy troops who kept approaching them. He didn’t know how long since the war had started; he began to feel tired. He looked around, there was smoke everywhere. Both sides had suffered severe casualties, Nino couldn’t tell which side had won the war since the situation was so frenzied. He ran towards the enemy and shot them, but they were more skilled.

 

Both of them were bigger than him; one of them caught him and slammed him to the ground.

 

“He’s the one we’ve been looking for,” the one with brown hair said to his friend.

 

“Let go of me,” Nino grimaced and tried to produce an ice shard with his left hand, but he failed. He was too tired and scared – Sho was right after all, he didn’t fit becoming a soldier.

 

“We need him alive,” the one with hands full of tattoos said.

 

“Stay still, kid. If you’re captured, this war will end. You don’t want everyone to die because of protecting you, right,” the brown-haired man said.

 

They pulled Nino from the ground roughly and that was when Nino made his escape by shooting sharp ice from the end of his fingers. He used his last power to run away from those two men, but he didn’t know where to go. The way was all covered in smoke; he was completely alone. He had lost Sho, he had no device to contact the others, and he didn’t even have any idea where this place was.

 

Nino ran, hoping to find his friends, but the direction he headed was empty. He tried to scream, but his voice was lost. He stopped and caught his breath, he must have been trapped in someone’s power. The one who could make him hallucinate. But even if he knew it was a hallucination, he didn’t know how to get out from here. His power was useless in this instance. Nino closed his eyes, trying to think of the way out, but he drowned deeper into nothingness and almost lost his consciousness when he heard a voice.

 

“Nino!”

 

Sho’s voice sounded far away as if he was calling from the other side of a ravine.

 

“Nino, get a hold of yourself!” Sho yelled.

 

“Sho-chan,” Nino called Sho’s name. He limped forwards towards the direction of Sho’s voice and saw him, he was bleeding from his shoulder. Was that a part of the hallucination? Did they know that Nino had a soft spot for Sho in his heart? Did they do that to capture him?

 

Nino didn’t care anymore; he ran towards Sho. The man was fighting three other enemies by himself, he was badly wounded. He must help Sho. Nino tightened his left fist and sent a fatal ice blow to one of the three men. He felt the cold sensation spread wider to his upper arm, but Sho was his first priority right now.

 

One of the enemy soldiers swung a long blade to Sho; the man had not enough time to dodge it. Nino jumped in between, trying to block the attack with the shield of ice he created and shot the enemy with the gun in his right hand. The man fell down to the ground, and Nino realized that the blade had stabbed him in his stomach.

 

“Nino!”

 

Sho sent the remaining troop into unconsciousness while screaming Nino’s name. The latter crashed onto the ground and gasped as the pain started to spread to every part of his body.

 

“Nino, what have you done? You stupid moron!” Sho threw his weapon aside and pulled Nino’s head into his lap. “I told you that I will protect you, not the other way around, you idiot.”

 

Nino lifted his hand to touch Sho’s face; he was glad that Sho was alright, he wanted to tell Sho that he wouldn’t mind dying, he wanted to tell Sho to live a happier life, but his voice wouldn’t come out. He was in great pain, he could feel the life ebbing from his body, and death seemed more tempting now.

 

Sho kept on yelling his name.

 

“No, Nino! Look at me, stay with me. I don’t want to lose you again. I need you, please.”

 

Sho’s face had never been more handsome, Nino thought. He wished he could say it out loud, but the consciousness drifted away from him. He fell down to the nothingness, there was no pain anymore, everything seemed at peace.

 

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. The Green Light Part 6

“We’ve just found out the existence of a Konseki clone which belong to Green Light, we want him back alive. However, if you involve in an emergency situation, we give you permission to get rid of him, we don’t want the other nations find him before we do.”

Ohno read aloud the message from the upper rank officials with a dark expression on his face. He passed the message to Sho and waited for his opinion. Sho read it quickly and looked at his captain as he finished, “It’s not a coincidence that they want us to take this mission, isn’t it?” he said.

“I requested it,” Ohno answered briefly. “If we don’t take the clone back, the other nations will. We’ll be facing the worst war if that happens,” the captain continued.

Sho didn’t think twice when he agreed to take the mission. Ohno had explained everything to the upper rank soldiers which let Sho to take the first rescue mission all by himself.

The mission to take Nino back to the Green Light, to the place where he had died once…

The “original Nino” was one of data analysts of the Green Light to whom Sho fell in love to; one-sided love to be precise since Sho never confessed his feeling. His life as a soldier didn’t offer something like love, because he knew that they could die anytime, particularly Sho who always volunteered in a dangerous mission.

When Sho finally decided to confess his feeling, Nino was killed in a mission. The assigned troop failed to protect him when he analyzed the abandoned ship; something which would not have happened if Ohno’s troop was the one who protected the man.

Sho had no time to grief; he even didn’t know how to describe his feelings. He and Nino almost didn’t know each other, but he already considered the man as someone so dear to him and he blamed himself for his death. If only he was brave enough to confess earlier, perhaps everything would have been different. Perhaps he could convince the upper rank to assign him to guard Nino during his duty in the ship

If only there was a second chance…

It had been five years since Nino’s death, but Sho couldn’t erase the man from his mind. He thought of Nino’s innocent smile that he could only see from afar, Nino’s laughter that he could only hear from different table when all of them had lunch together at the headquarters’ canteen. If only Nino were alive, if only Sho was brave enough to tell him that he had loved him for all this time. 

Things had become too much unbearable for Sho which made him almost joined the suicide squad and that was when Ohno dragged him to the laboratory where Sho’s father worked. Sho never aware of the project his father had been working on; he had heard of the cloning assignment, but he never wanted to find out because he thought that it was stupid to create energy source in human form.

“I think you want to see this,” Ohno told him while showing him the sleeping man inside the huge capsule full of liquid.

It was Nino’s clone; exactly the same features, from a mole on his chin until the small wave on his black hair. Sho’s father was a genius physician who could finish a number of clones within just four years using their advance technology. The laboratory had taken the DNA samples from the lower ranked troops for the sake of cloning project and Nino must have been one of them.

Sho felt a wave of anger when he saw Nino’s face; it wasn’t the best way to get the person he loved back, but what could he do?

“His life will be wasted one more time,” Ohno told him. “Don’t you want to do something about it?”

“What do you mean?” Sho asked his captain with dry lips.

“They will transport these clones to the energy supply and will use them as batteries,” Ohno said, turning at Sho with meaningful gaze, “You don’t want to lose him again, not before knowing him,” the man gestured to Nino’s figure.

Sho snorted, “He’s just a clone, he’ll never know me.”

Ohno smile weakly and placed his hand on Sho’s shoulder, “There’s nothing wrong with trying.”

Both of them had planned to take Nino away from the laboratory, but something unpredicted happened that night. Sho’s father committed suicide which caused a chaotic situation in the headquarter. The high ranked officials decided to hide the clones to avoid the conflict with the other nations. However, some clones didn’t make it and died half-way.

Sho and Ohno infiltrated the laboratory and transferred Nino to Niji – a town which located far away from Green Light – before the man woke up from his sleep. It was a difficult thing to do, Nino could die anytime since he wasn’t 100% complete – they were lucky that Jun was there to help them. Jun’s duty was transferring the completed clones to their stations before joined Ohno’s squad. 

When they arrived at Niji, they got help from Ohno’s old friend to hide Nino; they got rid the GPS chip from the back of Nino’s neck and waited until he was in a more stable condition before going back to the Green Light.

“We’ll need him one day, it’s not goodbye,” Ohno said as they left the town.

Sho looked back at the peaceful atmosphere of Niji and wished Nino to have a good life. Half of him wished that they would never meet again since he didn’t know how to treat this cloned Nino. He wasn’t the Nino he had been missing for all these years. He was just a result of the stupid technology which led them into a useless war.

“Our world is absurd,” Sho murmured. “I’m so sick about it.”

“You’re right, but we can’t run from our Nation. Green Light needs us,” Ohno replied. “Don’t worry, we have done the right thing.”

Sho didn’t know whether they had done the right thing, he just didn’t want to think about it. He dedicated his life to Ohno’s squad and tried to erase the bitter memories which involved Nino and his father’s scandal.

It had been four years since the day he saw Nino for the last time when Ohno came with a news that the high ranked general wanted the Konseki back and their squad was tasked to take the man back to the Green Light. Something that Ohno had already predicted.

***

The place where Nino was living basically had nothing to do with wars. They survived by providing the programs for other nations. Sho had collected the information about Nino; the man was working as a programmer (not so different with the original Nino). He lived in a cramped apartment, hated sport and crowded place. His hobby was reading comics, his favorite food was hamburger.

It seemed that the root’s intelligence still remained on the clone – thanked to the Green Light high technology. 

Sho’s personal mission was to bring Nino to the hiding place where the rest of his team would be waiting. It wasn’t a difficult duty, but to keep himself hidden all the time was a little bit tiring, particularly if the person he had to follow was smarter than the average people.

On one of the coldest night in autumn – three weeks after Sho followed Nino – Sho finally manage to bring the man to the hiding place. He hid inside Nino’s apartment and covered the man’s mouth as he entered. He moved fast by injecting a little dosage of special anesthetic which would keep Nino asleep for a few hours. Sho lifted Nino towards his truck as fast as he could before someone spotted him. He lay the man down on the passenger’s seat, trying hard to fasten the seatbelt around his waist and without him realizing it, Nino’s head had fallen onto his chest.

It was the first time for him to look at Nino from close distance; if only he could confess his feelings five years ago, maybe this scene would have happened earlier. Nino’s sleeping face was calm and peaceful; Sho could look into this face for hours without getting bored, but it wasn’t the right time to stare into someone’s face, he had many things to be done and a report to write. He drove the truck towards the hiding place and moved Nino the room. He clicked his fingers, all the lights inside the room were gone, leaving only the pitch darkness. 

The journey to the Green Light was as challenging as Sho had predicted and the cloned Nino was not as intelligence as he thought. The man was weak, whiny, asked too many questions, and above all, was always cute. Sho acted as if he was a baggage and scolded him all the time, because he was scared that if he lost his guard, he would once again feel the same thing to this cloned Nino.

However, in the end, he had failed.

When Nino rested his head on his shoulder on the particular night during their trip to Green Light, he knew he had fallen to Nino all over again, regardless this man was a clone, regardless that he never knew Sho like Sho knew him.

It didn’t matter anymore, he pulled Nino closer and hugged him tightly. Perhaps this was his second chance and he didn’t want to make it a waste.

He loved Nino.

He didn’t want to lose this man.

He wanted to hear Nino’s laughter, he wanted to feel his touch, he wanted to smell Nino’s shampoo, he wanted to see him naked in his bed.

All of the memories rushed to Sho’s head when he held the unconscious Nino in his arms. His blood wetted him, he would lose Nino one more time, there was no chance for him to survive this wound. He always thought that he was a capable soldier, but he was just a failure, he couldn’t even protect a single comrade.

Sho cried, for the first time in his life. He had never shed any tears before this, not even when his father died, not even when he heard Ohno’s death. He cried out loud while calling Nino’s name whose eyes were closed, who was on the verge of death.

“Sho-chan, we have to bring him to the hospital, hurry!” he could hear Aiba’s voice.

“We can still save him, come on, Sho!” Jun helped him carry the wounded Nino.

Sho didn’t really remember the details when they transported Nino towards the hospital. Aiba and Jun spoke to him, but their voices couldn’t reach him. He clutched Nino’s hand tightly until the doctor came and separated him from the man.

Sho suffered a few injuries, but he didn’t care anymore. His underlings came a few minutes later, forcing him to the intensive care unit to take care of his wounds. Sho ignored them; these wounds were meaningless compared to Nino’s.

He walked aimlessly around the hospital; he just couldn’t stay still right now. He needed to distract his mind from the uninvited thoughts about Nino.

‘Nino, please stay alive, I can’t forgive myself if you die on me.’

***

 

The bed Nino was lying in was soft and warm; his head felt so heavy, he must have been so drunk last night. He tried to recall what he was doing the night before, he made a new program, it was horrific, his boss wanted to sell it as soon as possible.

It wasn’t from last night, Nino corrected himself. The memory was from a long time ago. Confused, he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a transfusion bag which connected to the vein in his right hand. He shifted his sight to his left side; someone was holding his hand. Nino blinked and took a better look, the man was none other than Sho, he was fast asleep, his head bent in a weird position, he clutched Nino’s hand tightly as if afraid that Nino could disappear anytime. 

 

Nino couldn’t move, he began to feel the pain from the left side of his stomach. That was when he finally remembered what happened. A blade had been stabbed into his stomach.

The war, was it over?

Were Jun and Aiba alright?

Sho stirred and lifted his head; their eyes met for a few seconds.

“You’re awake,” Sho said with a soft smile on his lips.

Nino must have been dreaming; this couldn’t be the same Sho he knew. The real Sho would never smile, he would have shouted angrily at Nino for being careless. The real Sho would blame him for lying down in this hospital bed instead of fighting in the warzone.

Sho rose from the chair and pushed the button beside Nino’s bed to call for the nurse. He returned to Nino’s side and took his hand again.

“You lost too much blood,” Sho said. “It’s a miracle we could save you. The doctors had to remove your potential power, you’re just a mere human being now. Nobody will chase you anymore,” he added.

“I’m sorry Captain for being careless.”

Sho smiled again and squished Nino’s hand softly. “The war is over, the upper rank generals have signed the peace treaty. This state will be in peace for a time, until some idiot creates another stupid weapon in the future. For now, we can take a breath.”

“Sho-chan…”

“The doctor will examine you,” Sho cut him off. “I’ll take my leave now, but I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay.”

Nino looked at their intertwined hands and nodded. Perhaps, they didn’t need words to explain their feelings, but when he was in a better state, he wanted to tell Sho how much he loved him.

“How long it has been since I fell asleep?” Nino asked.

“Three days,” Sho answered briefly.

Nino finally realized the bags under Sho’s eyes and the guilty feeling struck him; Sho probably hadn’t slept for those three days. He wanted to ask more question when the door opened, revealing the doctor and a nurse behind him.

Sho squished Nino’s hand softly and left the room after greeting the doctor.

The doctor introduced himself as Ikuta Toma; the leader of the medical team during the war. He was a man full of smile, he told Nino about Sho’s achievement when he was a junior soldier, it was enough to distract Nino from the pain on his stomach.

“Your wound is deep, it almost damaged your vital organs, so don’t make any stupid movements, okay,” Toma winked at him before leaving the room.

For three days Nino stayed still. Sho came every night and kept him company until Nino fell asleep. Jun and Aiba (to Nino’s relief, they were alright, even though Jun broke his right arm) came on the third night. They praised Nino saying that he did very well in his first war.

“Hopefully it will be the last,” Aiba murmured. “I really want to quit soldiering and work at the zoo instead.”

“Sho will never let you,” Jun said, giving Aiba a stern look.

“Get well soon, Nino. Jun plans to celebrate our victory with a cozy party. He will cook for it by himself,” Aiba said happily.

“With your help, of course,” Jun replied.

Nino could only nod, he really wanted to leave the hospital. Toma had removed the transfusion needle and said that if Nino made more progress, he could go home within the next two days. Aiba brought a few comics and magazines for Nino to read, meanwhile Jun gave him a puzzle to finish. When they left, the room fell into an odd silence. Nino lay down slowly and started flipping through the magazine Aiba gave him.

The magazine came from Nino’s hometown and it was an old edition; he wondered whether the people in the Green Light still needed magazines in their life. Was there any way for him to go back to his town that now the war was over? Would Sho let him become a programmer again? But if he went back to his town, he wouldn’t be able to be with Sho. The Sho who had shown his sincere smile.

Nino closed his eyes, thinking of what he had been through for the past four months, somehow it felt longer than that. He recalled the first time he saw Sho’s intimate face, how Sho dragged his elbow as if he was a luggage instead of a person. Despite Sho’s horrible behavior towards him, Nino still found the man as his safe haven. All the insecurities were gone when Sho was around.

He eventually fell asleep and when he woke up, Sho was sitting at the end of the bed, looking at him with a soft gaze.

“Hi,” Sho said. “How are you?”

“Bored,” Nino answered.

“Toma said you can leave tomorrow morning,” Sho said, shifting closer towards Nino.

“Will I get a private room now?” Nino asked.

Sho thought for a while before answering. “Unfortunately, there is no rooms left,” he said. “You can stay in my room for the time being. I have cleaned it, if it concerns you,” Sho continued when Nino didn’t answer.

Nino chuckled lightly as he heard it. It was obvious that Sho had lied to him; Jun and Aiba told him that they still had plenty of rooms for junior members, but Nino didn’t complain. Sharing a room with Sho wasn’t that bad, except that he snored.

“I can’t wait to go back,” Nino said, smiling at the man before him. Sho leaned closer and touched his nose lightly, a movement which almost sent Nino to the unconsciousness again.

***

 

[Six months later]

“Ninomiya reporting to Commander Sakurai. The latest program for the border surveillance system is completed. We can do a trial tomorrow,” Nino spoke through the communication device while checking the final preparations for the launching of the new program he had been working on for the last three months.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ninomiya-san,” Sho answered.

Nino smiled to the receiver; he was moved to the surveillance section and became the main programmer within a short time since nobody could do the work as good as he could. He had lost his ability to produce ice from his fingers after the war, but it didn’t really matter.

Sho had become a Commander now and was responsible for more than twenty platoons. Jun and Aiba had become captains and commanded their respective troops. All of them were busy with their tasks, but they always spared time once a month to have dinner together.

Nino lived together with Sho; they had moved to a bigger room with a large balcony where Nino could take care of flowers. Sho’s new job required almost all of his time, but the man enjoyed it, he smiled more compared to the three months before. He was popular among the female troops, at least that was what Jun told Nino.

Their relationship was awkward at first since Sho wasn’t a type of person who could show his emotions. However, as the time went by, things got better. Sho kissed him for the first time when Nino was finally able to walk again. It was an unpredictable kiss, but for Nino, it was the sweetest thing Sho had done to him.

Tonight, the four of them planned to visit Ohno’s grave and have dinner afterwards. Nino saved the application, turned off his computer and headed towards the exit. The western sky remained an orange color, the soft breeze touched his skin. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath before walking outside.

Sho had been waiting for him at the entrance of the graveyard. He looked handsome in his uniform; he extended his hand to take Nino’s and led him through the path.

“You look best in that casual outfit, it’s better than the jumpsuit,” Sho commented.

“I only wore the jumpsuit because someone forced me to become a soldier,” Nino replied.

“No, I think it’s because you told that someone that you wanted to become stronger,” Sho squished his hand softly.

Jun and Aiba were already there; both of them smiled at Nino and Sho.

“I wish Ohno-san could see this peaceful era,” Nino mumbled.

“I’m sure that he’s watching us from somewhere,” Sho said.

They walked faster towards Jun and Aiba. The darkness surrounded them, but Nino had nothing to be afraid of. He was among the strongest soldiers of the Green Light. His beloved boyfriend was the Commander, his best friends were Captains. He tilted his head to the sky, to the blinking stars, Ohno probably was watching them from one of the stars, proud that his underlings had become the top soldiers and the best programmer.

End


End file.
